After your recyclables have been processed at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) the recyclables are baled for transport to reprocessing companies where they are made into new products.

Every recyclable item you put out for collection is one less piece of waste going to landfill. Your contribution means that you are helping to Close The Loop – recyclable items are put back into the system and manufactured into new items making better use of our resources.

The paper and cardboard collected from the split bins in the Tweed Shire are recovered and sold to manufacturers of new paper and cardboard products. In this region there are two paper mills converting recycled paper and cardboard into new boxes and packaging materials.

Recycled glass is added to the manufacturing processes to reduce the amount of raw resources used in making bottles and jars. Adding the recycled glass directly reduces the amount of silica (sand) and lime (from coaral reefs) needed to make new bottles and jars. Unlike paper, glass can be used over and over and will always be able to reduce the amount of raw resources used in the manufacture of high quality products.

Plastic containers are separated into the different plastic codes and colours at the MRF. Each types of plastic is used in the manufacture of different types of containers, bottles and plastic products. Wheelie bins, softdrink bottles, compost bins, potplant pots and many of the plastic detergent bottles you buy every day have some recycled plastic in them that may have been recovered from your split bin in theTweed Shire.

Metal cans may contain steel, aluminum, tin lead or a number of these metals. When they are recovered from the MRF they are sent for chipping and melting into raw metal ingots (block of clean metal). These ingots are used in the same way as those made from raw resources, added to manufacturing processes to be melted and shaped into a range of new products.

• Buying in Bulk - buying bulk reduces the amount of excess packaging you are purchasing when you buy individually wraped items suck as snak packs of crakers and cheese, biscuits and chips.
  
  
• Buy Recycled - look for products that are made from, or their packaging is made from recycled products, this helps Close the Loop.
  
  
• Take Reusable Bags - taking reusable bags minimises the number of disposable bags that are used to collect your shopping. Use the same approach to pack your daily serves of snacks from you bulk packs for school and work lunches.
  
  
• Buy Loose - avoid over packaging by buying loose items when possible, fruit and vegetables are a good example of when you can avoid pre-packaged items.
  
  
• Buy Products That Last - reusable and repairable items will outlast disposable items, reducing the amount of waste you throw away.
  
  
• Reusable or Recyclable - look for items packaged in reusable containers, if these aren't available, look for items with recyclable packaging.